TODAY ONLINE >> Online Blog: Kobe Bryant retires and we thank him for the good times and exciting games.

LADY BEARS EAT RICE
pg. 6

W E ’ R E T H E R E W H E N YO U C A N ’ T B E

THURSDAY

DECEMBER 3, 2015

WACO POLICE

B AY L O R L A R I AT. C O M

SYRIAN CRISIS

Dangers
in Waco
continue
to decline
EMMA KING
Staff Writer
It took countless hours over three
semesters for Lipscomb, senior Kathleen
Tyson to dig up the data that proves that
Waco’s crime rates have been declining for
the last 20 years.
“I was honestly really surprised,” Tyson
said. “When I first got to Baylor, all I heard
was ‘Waco is really dangerous.’”
Tyson is a University Scholar major,
with a concentration in criminal justice and
forensic science. She took on the task of
researching Waco’s crime rates for her senior
thesis, which totaled 71 pages.
“It was a good and important topic
because the topic directly concerns the
place where Baylor is located, and therefore
the finding from her thesis should be an
interest to many people,” said Dr. Sung Joon
Jang, research professor of criminology and
co-director of the program on prosocial
behavior within Baylor’s Institute for Studies
of Religion.
Jang served as Tyson’s mentor and the
chair for Tyson’s thesis committee.
Tyson said she was fascinated by all the
theories of how crime rates go up and down.
She said when she contacted Jang to be her
mentor, he told her there was no one else
doing research on Waco and he thought it
would be a good idea.
Tyson sifted through 84 years of city data,
found in the Baylor Police database and the
Federal Bureau of Investigation’s uniform
crime report. She focused on property
crimes and violent crimes, discovering that
property crimes have been on the decline in
Waco since 1988 and violent crimes began
following suit in 1991.
“Waco is actually a much safer place to
live than Dallas or Houston,” Tyson said.
She said that in the 1980s, Waco’s crime
rate was higher than those three cities, but as
of 2013, Waco’s rates were lower than those
cities and lower than Texas’ crime rates.
Her investigation also revealed that
Bellmead has higher and increasing crime
rates compared to Waco, while Woodway,
Robison and Hewitt have lower crime rates,
but show no trends.
Though Jang said other social vectors
must have contributed to Waco’s rates
trending downward, he also said that he

CRIME >> Page 4

Trey Honeycutt | Lariat Photographer

SAFE HAVEN Damascus, Syria, junior Amjad Dabi is not like most Baylor students. He migrated to the United States in 2013, leaving his family,
to be able to escape the war zone and continue his education at Baylor. He is studying piano and pre-med.

Refuge in Waco
Syrian refugees look to find home at Baylor, MCC
more present awareness.
As Bolen details on his blog, he first noticed Dabi’s and Maqdissi’s
dedication and ambition during the workshops that summer. He kept
Notes played on a piano stream out of an office in Roxy Grove. A in contact with them over the years and, as he noted the escalating
piano pedagogy student bends over the black and white keys, playing conflict in Syria and the risks that both of them faced by remaining, he
what he came here to study, showing the work of years at Baylor.
had the idea to bring them to the United States.
The student is Damascus, Syria, junior Amjad Dabi. He has been
“The war was heating up, and these guys had done a great job
studying the piano here since 2013. Dabi, like so many other students of their educations and were actually close to finishing there. They
at Baylor, is also pre-med. After he graduates
decided, well, maybe they wanted to finish their
in 2017, he might continue to pursue music in
educations and were trying to figure out how
graduate school, or apply to medical programs.
they could do it,” Bolen said. “In the process
As any undergraduate, he is still deciding
during that period I remember Andreh calling
exactly what to do with the rest of his life.
me having had a rocket grenade go across the
But unlike most undergraduates at Baylor,
front of his car, [which] blew up the building
Dabi is an immigrant from Syria. His home
and the windows out of some of the cars around
has been caught in civil war for about the last
him.”
four years, since protests decrying the regime
Although Maqdissi did not suffer any
of President Assad began in March 2011.
serious harm from the rocket grenade, Dabi
Dabi’s family still lives outside Damascus,
suffered lacerations to his face after a car bomb
which is largely controlled by Assad and prodetonated outside his home. Bolen calls these
Dr. Bradley Bolen | Senior Lecturer
government forces but has also been caught
experiences a wake-up call for the students,
in the throes of the conflict between rebel and
who soon after left Syria for Thailand, where
government forces.
they stayed in an apartment owned by John
Dabi and his friend Andreh Maqdissi, who attends McLennan Ferguson, the head of American Voices. Once in Thailand, they did
Community College, came to Waco in 2013. Dr. Bradley Bolen, who not know whether they would be able to come to the United States or
teaches piano at Baylor, was instrumental in bringing them here after return home.
meeting the two students at an American Voices workshop in Damascus
However, both Dabi and Maqdissi were accepted into their
in the summer of 2010. American Voices brings American music and respective institutions with nearly full scholarships available. Seventh
instructors to young musicians in countries that have recently become
independent, seeking to promote cross-cultural understanding and a
REFUGEES >> Page 4

HELENA HUNT
Staff Writer

“I remember Andreh
calling me having had
a rocket grenade go
across the front of his
car...”

>>WHAT’S INSIDE
opinion
Editorial: When words
are not enough we pray: a
prayer for the world. pg. 2

arts & life
Cookbook Confessions:
We try making Baby
Porcupine. Find out what
we thought about them.
pg. 5

photo story

Spice Village owner
Jennifer Haak Wilson tells
the story of her store and
its impact. pg. 3

Vol.116 No. 50

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

14 dead, more than a dozen
wounded in California shooting
AMANDA LEE MYERS
Associated Press
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — At least
two heavily armed attackers opened fire on
a banquet at a social services center for the
disabled Wednesday, killing 14 people and
seriously wounding more than a dozen others
in a precision assault that looked “as if they
were on a mission,” authorities said.
Hours later, police hunting for the killers
riddled a black SUV with gunfire in a shootout
two miles from the late-morning carnage, and
a man and woman with assault rifles, handguns
and “assault-style clothing” were killed, San
Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan said.
A third person who was spotted running
near the gunbattle was detained, but Burguan
said it was unclear if that person had anything
to do with the crime.

It was the nation’s deadliest mass shooting
since the attack at a school in Newtown,
Connecticut, three years ago that left 26
children and adults dead.
Police shed no light on the motive for
the massacre, but David Bowdich, assistant
director of the FBI’s Los Angeles office, said
the bureau is looking at several possibilities,
including workplace violence and terrorism.
He did not elaborate.
The attackers invaded the Inland Regional
Center and began shooting around 11 a.m.
They opened fire in a conference area that
the San Bernardino County Department of
Public Health had rented out for an employee
banquet, said Marybeth Feild, president and
CEO of the nonprofit center.
Police spokeswoman Sgt. Vicki Cervantes

CALIFORNIA >> Page 4

Associated Press

RACE TO THE SCENE Police and emergency vehicles
line Waterman Avenue in front of the Inland Regional
Center in San Bernardino, Calif., the scene of a mass
shooting on Wednesday. As many as three gunmen
believed to be wearing military-style gear opened fire
Wednesday at the Southern California social services
center. Authorities said the shooting rampage killed
multiple people and wounded others.

When discussion fails, we pray
Over this semester, as an editorial board we’ve struggled with
debating issues both inside and outside of our nation. We’ve
listed them on a whiteboard week after week and weighed the
multicultural opinions of several different perspectives in the
room. We’ve made educated arguments with the intention of
displaying both sides of every issue that comes into debate. And
while we write editorials with the hopes of creating conversation
outside the confines of the boardroom, we’re sometimes left in
silence when something beyond what we can fathom comes into
this world.
In light of events throughout the semester far too weighty,
heartbreaking or controversial to come to a conclusion about,
we wanted to be transparent in how completely inadequate we
are to create formative conversation about topics such as the
Syrian refugee crisis, the Paris attacks, the continuing Planned
Parenthood controversy and Wednesday’s San Bernardino
shooting. While each of us has an opinion on these matters,
we would like to take this editorial space to offer these events

up to the Lord, who has control and sovereignty over them all.
We understand His power is limitless and trust in his ability to
provide comfort and administer justice.
Father,
Thank you for loving your people. Thank you for extending
grace to us when we deserve it the least. Thank you for the gift
you’ve given us in Jesus, to know our worth is found in him and to
be saved through the sacrifice he made on the cross.
Father, we ask you to be in the midst of pain and suffering. We
ask for you to comfort those in shock, in the trenches of mourning
loved ones from several terrorist attacks around the world. We ask
for you to bring peace swiftly in the areas broken and destroyed by
bombers and militants. For those who are angry, give them peace.
For those emotionally stressed, comfort them. For those who are in
pain, heal them.
We ask for you to bring refuge to those fleeing their homes in
search for safety. Guide their steps and protect their families as they

travel. Aid nations in their efforts to take on refugees, that there
would be an idea of how to care for the masses in the middle of
terrific uncertainty.
We ask you to become a healing hand in the midst of racial,
political and social tension. From the protests on college campuses,
teach us what it is to love one another and treat people with respect
and honor. For the shootings among police and civilians, bring
an understanding of the value of life — that no one is created by
accident, that not one person is disposable here.
We beg for your guidance to be disseminated among world
leaders. Protect them and give them an understanding of what steps
they need to take while in power.
We ask all these things knowing you have the ability to create
change, much more so than we have. You alone are good, and we
lift these requests to you to acknowledge we have no control. We are
desperate for you, every day.
In your Son’s holy name,
Amen

WE SAY

COLUMN

YOU SAY

Not just a stat: Americans should mourn all attacks

WEDNESDAY’S
SURVEY
QUESTION

MCKENNA MIDDLETON
Contributor
A single westerner’s death is a tragedy; a
million Middle Easterners’ deaths are a statistic.
It’s disheartening, to say the least, that some of the
most influential nations in the world have adopted
a mantra similar to that of ruthless
dictator Joseph Stalin.
The aftermath of the Paris attacks
has resulted in demands for tighter
border control in Europe and other
western nations, particularly in regards
to immigration for Syrian refugees in
need of aid and relocation. The UN
estimates over 6.5 million people have
been forced to flee Syria as a result of
these same kinds of attacks pinned
to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
(ISIS).
While the news of these refugees received some
salience in past months, it was nothing compared
to the reaction to the Paris attacks.
Paris is receiving a lot of support, but what about

countries facing similar, and often more frequent,
tragedies? Where is the Facebook profile picture
filter for those countries?
Many have justified this by citing our unique
alliance with France or 9/11. However, I propose
that, as Americans, we tend to sympathize
with other western countries with much more
prominence than with other nations.
This is not to say the supportive
reaction of Americans to Parisians
should be lessened, but rather that
American support should stretch
further than western countries we
have an alliance with. As the Syrian
refugees prove, the problem of
terrorism is not a western problem,
but a global issue.
At the G-20 Summit, Obama
recognized that Syrian refugees are
often “the victims of terrorism themselves, that’s
what they’re fleeing.” The result of a terrorist attack
in a western nation objectively should create an
empathetic connection between refugees and the

nations they wish to enter.
Despite this, most European nations and
even leaders in the United States have suggested
relocation of these refugees be put to a stop for
security reasons. In an interview with CNN,
presidential candidate Jeb Bush even suggested that
“we should focus our efforts as it relates to refugees
on the Christians that are being slaughtered.” In
other words, we should again turn our attention,
sympathy and aid to people like us, further
perpetrating the idea that terrorism only affects
western nations like the United States.
The situation of terrorism has been affecting
the global community for years, but it is only after
the Paris attacks that the issue has been directly
addressed with the quality and quantity of the
attack on 9/11.
Terrorism has been brought into the spotlight
once again but in a way that has created and
perpetuated a situation in which westerners are the
victims and Middle Easterners are the terrorists.
McKenna Middleton is a freshman journalism
and Spanish major from Glendale, Calif.

Do you think
the Paris media
coverage swept
the Mizzou attacks
under the rug?

39% said YES
61% said NO

YOUR RESPONSE
“The Black Lives Matter
movement is so wrapped
up in their propaganda,
they have lost sight of basic
humanity.”

Opinion
The Baylor Lariat welcomes reader viewpoints through letters to the editor and
guest columns. Opinions expressed in the Lariat are not necessarily those of the
Baylor administration, the Baylor Board of Regents, the student body or the Student Publications Board.

Editorials, Columns & Letters
Editorials express the opinions of the Lariat Editorial Board. Lariat letters and
columns are the opinions of an individual and not the Baylor Lariat.

Lariat Letters
To submit a Lariat Letter, email LariatLetters@baylor.edu. Letters should be a
maximum of 400 words. The letter is not guaranteed to be published.

Thursday, December 3, 2015
The Baylor Lariat

News

3

WIDE OPEN SPACES
by richard hirst | photo editor

Jennifer Haak Wilson makes it her duty to be available for her employees and customers at Spice Village during the store’s regular operating hours.

1.
During the holidays, Spice has a high demand for its gift wrap. Especially on busy days, Wilson
works behind the counter to wrap products to help her employees.

Wilson also works at the register alongside her employees. She aims to create interpersonal
relationships with her employees and customers to create a warm environment.

Spice it up
2.

3.

One dream, one
vision, one woman to
set it all into motion.
Spice Village, formerly known as
“Spice Furniture and Design,” has
been one of the main attractions in
downtown Waco for 18 years.
Jennifer Haak Wilson, the owner
of Spice Village, started her business
at the age of 23. She graduated from
the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
with a major in business. Wilson is a
single mother and dedicates her free
time to her family and friends.
With her heart and mind
committed to her passion for
retail, Wilson has made numerous
sacrifices to maintain a successful
business. She strives to create a
welcoming and fun environment for
her employees and customers.
Spice Village is located on 213
Mary Ave in the River Square Center.
By Sarah Pyo | Photographer

ONLINE EXTRAS

4.

Check out
an audio
slideshow at:
bay lo r l a r i at.c o m

6.
7.

Wilson sets an example for her employees by working on the floor in addition to her
management duties.

Although the concept of Spice has changed throughout the years, one thing that’s stayed since
1997 is Spice’s Signature Scent brand.

4

Thursday, December 3, 2015
The Baylor Lariat

News

CALIFORNIA from Page 1
said witnesses reported seeing one to three
gunmen.
“They came prepared to do what they
did, as if they were on a mission,” the police
chief said.
Burguan said that someone had left the
county employees’ event after “there was
some type of dispute,” but investigators
were not sure whether that had anything
to do with the subsequent massacre in the
Southern California city of 214,000 people
about 60 miles east of Los Angeles.
As gunfire echoed through the large
three-building complex, several people
locked themselves in their offices,
desperately waiting to be rescued by police.
Some texted their loved ones or telephoned
them and whispered to them what was
going on.
“People shot. In the office waiting for
cops. Pray for us. I am locked in an office,”
Terry Petit’s daughter texted him.
Petit, choking back tears as she read
the text for reporters at the scene, said
his daughter works at the center, where
social workers find jobs, housing and
transportation and provide other services

to people with disabilities such as autism,
cerebral pal sy and epilepsy.
Ten of the wounded were hospitalized in
critical condition, and three were in serious
condition, Fire Chief Tom Hannemann said.
That the violence happened at a
place dedicated to helping people with
developmental disabilities — even if they
were not targeted — made it even harder for
some to comprehend.
“These are all disabled kids, very
disabled,” said Sherry Esquerra, who was
searching for her daughter and son-inlaw, both of whom work at the center. “She
gets all the services she possibly could
for these kids. So I just don’t understand
why somebody would come in and start
shooting.”
FBI agents and other law enforcement
authorities converged on the center and
searched room to room for the attackers.
Triage units were set up outside, and people
were wheeled away on stretchers. Others
were marched from the building with their
hands up so that police could search them
and make sure the attackers weren’t trying
to slip out.

They had indeed escaped. One witness,
Glenn Willwerth, who runs a business
across the street, said he heard 10 to 15 shots
and then saw an SUV with blacked-out
windows pull out “very calmly, very slowly”
and drive off.
As the manhunt dragged on, stores,
office buildings and schools were locked
down in the city, and roads were blocked off.
About four hours later, with police
looking for a dark SUV, officers staking out
a home in the nearby city of Redlands saw
a vehicle matching that description leave.
They tried to pull it over, the SUV crashed,
and a gunbattle broke out around 3 p.m.,
authorities said. One officer suffered a
minor injury.
Each of the dead had a rifle and handgun
and was wearing tactical clothing, including
vests stuffed with ammunition magazines,
said Agent Meredith Davis of the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
An explosive device was found at the social
service center, and during the car chase,
the couple hurled a fake bomb — a metal
pipe stuffed with cloth — out of the SUV,
she said.

CRIME from Page 1

REFUGEES from Page 1

thinks police should get some credit, and it
should be an encouragement to them.
“I was actually happy for Waco because
I think that means the police force and the
different policies they’ve implemented in the last
20 years are helping,” Tyson said.
From 1991 to 2013, residential burglaries
have decreased from 2,466 cases to 1,028 and
criminal mischief has decreased from 2,220 cases
to 1,100, according to Waco Police Departments’
23 Year Crime Report Comparison.
“The findings may come as a surprise to
many people who has a misconceived notion of
Waco’s crime situation,” Jang said.
Tyson referenced individual instances, like
the Twin Peaks shooting, and said it was just a
singular event and not a true representation of
where Waco is heading.
Since Tyson examined so many years of data,
Jand said it is a remarkable picture of how crime
rates are declining.
Tyson said she was happy to see that Waco is
following similar trends as the United States, so
she was able to look at those too.
“She did a very good job in checking down
data sets and she has been very persistent and
certainly there were ups and downs but she
finished her project and I commend her for
that,” Jang said of Tyson.
Tyson said the project was more massive
than she thought it would be, but that she hopes
her findings will help shed light on the reality of
crime in Waco.

and James Baptist Church also
gave them free housing once they
arrived in Waco.
“Being at Baylor, I have met a lot
of supportive people, starting with
Dr. Bolen. The School of Music and
the university have been extremely
supportive of my education here
and what I’m trying to do. I think
it’s just been wonderful all along,
in terms of having social, financial
and educational support,” Dabi
said.
Of course, Dabi’s mind is
always with his family in Syria as
well. Any phone call could contain
news of a relative or friend’s injury
or death.
“How many times do you
expect to call someone in your
family and the first thing they say
to you is, ‘We’re all alive’?” Dabi
said.
Dabi said that the obstacles to
arriving in the U.S. were difficult
for him and would be nearly
insurmountable for his family.
They are trying to bring his brother
to the country, but financial and
immigration difficulties remain a
major impediment to his arrival.
The U.S. has so far accepted
about 2,290 of the 4.2 million
refugees who are fleeing the civil

war in Syria. About 194 have come
to Texas, which is one of the top
six states for refugee resettlement.
While President Obama pledged
to accept 10,000 refugees in the
coming year, the vetting and
approval process can still take
about two years.
That process may become even
more demanding in the wake
of the attacks in Paris. While no
confirmed Syrian refugees were
among the known attackers,
the governors of 31 U.S. states,
including Greg Abbott of Texas,
oppose the entry of Syrian
refugees. However, the authority
to close state borders does not
lie with these governors, but
with the federal government.
Several presidential candidates
have also expressed opposition
to immigration, or enhanced
screening of potential refugees.
“I would encourage people
to actually look at the scale and
the severity of this catastrophe,
and for them to look up what the
living conditions of these people
that are living in refugee camps,
or internally displaced in Syria, or
even that are still living in Syria.
Aside from the general war zone,
there’s food shortages, there’s

Associated Press

RUN AND GUN Law enforcement officials walk with
weapons drawn outside a Southern California social
services center in San Bernardino, Calif., where authorities
said multiple people were shot Wednesday.

barely any electricity, nobody has
any sort of fuel derivatives to warm
themselves in the winter, and we’re
coming on a very harsh winter.
Just imagine living a day where
you have no electricity, it is 20
degrees outside, and you have no
means of warming yourself, and
then imagine that happening every
single day with no end in sight,”
Dabi said. “I would also encourage
people to look up whether such
fears are actually rooted in truth.”
Bolen
additionally
urges
politicians to look at the facts
of the situation in Syria and the
demographics of immigrants
before closing our borders. He
pointed to the thoroughness of
the vetting process, saying that
entry of refugees into the U.S.
takes longer than for almost any
other immigrant group due to
the background checks that are in
place.
“Being in a war zon,e sometimes
it is hard not to lose faith in a lot of
what humans can and want to do.
But also, seeing the side of people
who are willing to help, who are
willing to take some time to [take]
a great leap of faith in you, I think
it’s the best cure for losing your
faith in the world,” Dabi said.

Past eras’ recipes in today’s
kitchens: Baby Porcupines
SARAH JENNINGS
Reporter
In this week’s adventure for Cookbook
Confessions, I cooked up some “Baby
Porcupines,” a recipe which thankfully does
not require the actual anatomical parts of a
porcupine. That would be sad and, perhaps
more importantly, very difficult to acquire.
If I’m being completely honest, I was a
little disappointed that Mrs. E. H. James didn’t
suggest using real porcupines. What a great
story that would’ve been. It leaves me with an
important question for Google: Do people eat
porcupines?
Well, just wait. Molly Carter writes on Wide
Open Spaces, a hunting and fishing website,
that porcupines make great survival food for
the following five reasons: They’re slow, they
have really bad eyesight, you can kill them by
hand, they’ve got a lot of meat on them, and
you can eat them raw.
Now that we’ve established that humans
do indeed eat porcupines, let’s get on with
the recipe for those of us lucky enough to be
civilized.
This recipe surprised me by requiring
relatively common ingredients. I wouldn’t have
needed any creative substitutions; however, I
forgot to buy rice at H-E-B. Apparently I have
not yet learned to read all of the instructions
ahead of time.
Fortunately, a new CVS Pharmacy opened
up where I live, so I took a quick trip there and
settled on some minute rice. It’s not ideal, but
that’s all they had.
Once home, I simmered 1 pound of ground
sirloin and added the onions and green peppers
in after the meat was mostly brown. I would
recommend using more onions and peppers

than the recipe calls for as those flavors didn’t
really show up in the final taste. Then, I beat
two eggs and poured them in at the same time
as the sweet milk—also known as condensed
milk. You’ll want to make sure the heat is low
at this point. You don’t want scrambled eggs.
Crush the crackers in a plastic bag and mix it
up.
Then comes the fun part. I grabbed a
handful of the mixture, rolled it into a ball and
then covered it with rice. Okay, that part was
actually gross and really inconvenient. I had to
keep stirring the tomato soup, but my hands
were covered in a beefy goo.
After lowering the porcupine balls into
the boiling soup, they were done in a minute
or two. I tried a bite, and they were delicious.
They aren’t beautiful or something I’d normally
recommend, but they taste like meatloaf
essentially. When reading about this recipe
on a blog, it seems to be an old comfort food.
Many people were asking for this recipe, as it’s
something they remember from childhood,
though it’s gone out of fashion in recent
decades.
Reading blogs such as the one above is
such fun because I’m finding diverse, generous
people who have stories and memories related
to so many different foods. But it’s not really
about the food at all. It’s about sharing these
stories and making connections with people.
Food is one of the few things in the world that
everyone needs and everyone enjoys. I love
the fellowship of the table — a place to share
with friends, family and even strangers. I’ve
been able to experience this, with these cooks
from years ago, in a small way through the
humor and wisdom they inserted into their
cookbooks.

NO PORCUPINES WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING
Top: The ingredients used to make the old recipe aren’t
hard to find in today’s markets. Middle: The finished
product. Bottom: The recipe from the original cookbook.

No. 4 Lady Bears blow past winless Owls
MEGHAN MITCHELL
Reporter
The No. 4 Lady Bears continued
their winning ways Wednesday at the
Ferrell Center, beating the Rice Owls
89-38.
The Owls (0-6) looked to capture
their first win of the season but were
unable to do so against the undefeated
Bears (7-0).
“We played a really great team
tonight,” said Owls head coach Tina
Langley. “It was a great opportunity
for our young team to come down
and experience this environment.”
The Lady Bears came off a tough
victory last Saturday against No. 20
Michigan State in the Junkanoo Jam
in the Bahamas. Baylor’s level of play
proved to be too high for the Owls
Wednesday night.
The Lady Bears started the
game pushing the ball down the
court, taking the momentum and a
commanding 23-5 lead in the first
quarter.
Adding to sophomore guard
Kristy Wallace’s seven points in the
first quarter, the Lady Bears had a
58.8 shooting percentage and were
two for two on three-pointers.
Going into the second quarter, the
Owls tried to find their way back into
the game. Missed layups and botched
open looks for the Lady Bears allowed
the Owls to do just that in the second
quarter.
Coming out of halftime, the Lady
Bears found their first quarter form,
outscoring the Owls 24-6 in the third
quarter.
“I thought, both halves, the groups
that started were focused, “ said
Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey.
Junior post Khadijiah Cave
recorded a double-double in just
three quarters.
With 10 rebounds and 19 points,

Penelope Shirey | Lariat Photographer

GOING DOWN UNDER Sophomore guard Kristy Wallace drives into the paint during a basketball game between Baylor and Rice at the Ferrell Center
Wednesday night. Wallace came from Brisbane, Australia, to play for Baylor.

Cave’s performance helped the Bears
take a massive 62-26 lead going into
the fourth quarter.
The Lady Bears’ quick pace and
big presence were too much for the
Owls.
Baylor was able to run away with
the win in the second thanks to the
offense taking better care of the ball
than it did in the first half. The Bears
had six turnovers in the first half but
zero in the second half.
“It starts with discipline. It starts at

practice,” senior guard Niya Johnson
said. “Every time we turned the ball
over, we had to run a lap.”
Despite the blowout, the Lady
Bears would not leave the game
unscathed. Freshman post Beatrice
Mompremier went out late in the first
quarter with what appeared to be a
shoulder injury.
“Beatrice has the issue with her
shoulder,” Mulkey said. “She’s always
had it. It just popped out and came
back in. We just need to get her ready

for Florida in a couple weeks. She can
play with it. I’ve seen her tape it up
and play with it her entire career.”
In
Mompremier’s
absence,
freshman forward Justis Szczepanski
played her first minutes in her
collegiate career Wednesday night.
“There were definitely butterflies,”
Szczepanski said. “It was great to
be out there with my team and
contribute in any way that I could.”
“It’s good to have her out there, it
adds another dimension to our team,”

Mulkey said.
In the end, the Owls had no
matchup for the Lady Bears in the
paint, allowing the Lady Bears to
score 62 in the paint.
The 6-foot-7 freshman post Kalani
Brown and 6-foot-5 senior post
Kristina Higgins dominated with a
combined 19 points and 13 rebounds.
The Bears next test comes at home
Friday night where they take on
Northwestern State.